Unsetting default programs in 8.1

Question

The whole subject of default programs in Windows 8.1 appears to me to be a nightmare. Every time I go anywhere near a file some new program automatically jumps in and takes over. Example - on my old PC I had been used to working with Adobe Reader for pdf files, but now I find Microsoft Reader takes over; when I connect my camera I want my own camera software (in this case Canon EOS Utility) to handle the downloading of photo files, but instead Microsoft Photos leaps in and completely dominates what I was trying to do. Before that it was HP Connected Photo - which was equally irritating - until in an attempt to disable the HP program I simply transferred the problem to Microsoft Photos which now takes over.

The main question then is how do I stop programs on the Default Programs list from starting up automatically?

There are several issues linked to this. I do not want anyof the programs on the existing default list to be the ones to open certain files. For example, I want my camera to use my Canon software without any intrusion from any of the programs currently showing in the default progs list/choice. In the Set Default Programs (via Control Panel) there is an option to "Set this program as default" but once you click on this it seems to be an irreversible process - there is no "Unset" option. And once set, when you go into the only other option on this menu, "Choose defaults for this program", all file types are ticked/checked and none of them can be unticked, or deselected. The only way I have found of preventing one program from taking over (eg. Microsoft Photos) is to set another program on the list as the default for some particular file types (eg HP Connected photo for jpeg) - but I don't want either of those.

How do I rectify this? Can I add or remove programs from the list that presents itself as the available options? - it seems the program choices appearing there are dominated by Microsoft programs (and on my HP laptop, HP programs). Can I add other programs to that list, and if so how; can I remove programs from that ist, if so how? Do I have to have a default program set for a file type - eg for pdf, tiff, cr2 etc,? - I would prefer to make these choices manually each time I want to open, import or download one of these files than to have some infuriating irrelevant software leap in and take over, which I then have to cancel manually and open the program I want to use, manually.

I spent over 4 hours last night going round in circles and getting nowhere. This is so unintuitive. No wonder Windows 10 is on its way. Let's hope it is a return to something us non-geek ordinary mortals can work with.

Any help very gratefully received. Thanks so much.

Graham

Answer 1

See here..

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows-8/choose-programs-windows-uses-default

Go to the section "Choose apps by file type or protocol"